Missouri S&T’s provost for the last five years, Warren K. Wray, became interim chancellor on Sept. 1. He will serve during a national search to find a replacement for Chancellor John F. Carney III, who retired on Aug. 31.

Diana Ahmad, associate professor of history and political science and campus archivist, was named 2011 Woman of the Year in April. The award is presented each year to a female faculty member in recognition of her efforts to improve the campus environment for women and minorities. The award was created by Cynthia Tang, Econ’85, founder and former chair of Insight Industries Inc. and a member of the S&T Board of Trustees.

Missouri S&T was on lockdown for more than four hours in May after a high-speed chase that brought an armed man to campus. Pursued by police through Rolla, the gunman stopped his car on the walkway between the Havener Center and McNutt Hall. He then entered McNutt with his AK-47. The man exited the building almost as quickly as he entered, firing no shots and ditching his weapon before fleeing on foot.

Using a solar-powered water pump, Erica Collins, GeoE’10, is cleaning up contamination left behind by a local dry cleaner. She has already cleaned more than 70,000 gallons of water. You could call the project her mission.

Battlefield medics and emergency medical technicians may soon have a new tool for treating open wounds in the field: A cottony glass fiber developed by Missouri S&T ceramic engineers. The same cotton candy-like material also holds promise for helping diabetics, burn victims and others who suffer from hard-to-heal open wounds.

Julie Meyer, a senior in history and secondary education, started her S&T career as an accomplished athlete in both volleyball and women’s basketball. Last season she focused solely on basketball. Her decision paid off as she helped lead the Lady Miners to a share of the Great Lakes Valley Conference West Division title (the first since 1995-96 and the first one as a member of the GLVC) and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament for the third time in school history.